Portable devices from various manufactures, such as Nokia, Samsung, Ericsson, Apple, Research In Motion, Palm, or the like, have a variety of different charging conditions. Conventionally, a charger from one of such manufacturers would not work on a portable device of another manufacturer. Furthermore, different countries may impose different charging conditions, such as for example the Peoples Republic of China (“China”), and as such, manufacturers manufacturing devices for regional use may have yet another charging condition different from non-regional devices' charging conditions. Thus, even though portable devices made for regional use, such as in China, may have same charging conditions, conventionally such devices were not charging compatible with devices from outside such region. However, many of such portable devices from various manufacturers have Universal Serial Bus (“USB”) ports that are operative with USB ports of other devices, such as computers, other portable devices, hubs, electronic appliances, and the like.
Accordingly, it would be both desirable and useful to provide means for a “universal” charger that allows two or more portable devices with different charging conditions or protocols to be charged by such “universal” charger.